The Pagosa Springs High School Lady Pirate basketball team opened the new year in Broomfield at the Holy Family Invite, losing both games and dropping its season record to 3-5.
“After the weekend, I think we’re right where we need to be for the upcoming part of the season,” wrote coach Sarah Osborn in an email to The SUN. “We know we can compete, but we also know we have work to do.”
The Lady Pirates faced off against the Holy Family Tigers to kick off the tournament, losing 46-33 on Friday, Jan. 2.
The Lady Pirates kept it close in the first half, entering the locker room only down three points. The Tigers widened that gap in the third quarter, shutting out the Lady Pirates and outsourcing them 18-0. The Lady Pirates put up 17 in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough as they lost the game by 13 points.
Osborn notes she feels the game against Holy Family was a great measuring stick for the team and taught the Lady Pirates that they need to stay disciplined and constant with their decision-making under pressure.
Adelyn Hittle led the Lady Pirates in scoring on Friday with 10 points. Amber Snarr had eight points, Ximena Garcia had seven points, Lexi Campbell had five points and Liana Vega added three points.
The Lady Pirates made seven of 15 attempts from the free-throw line.
As a team, the Lady Pirates pulled down 32 total rebounds. Hittle led the team with 13 total rebounds. Garcia had nine and Campbell had three. Snarr, Charity Domingo and Kaila Limebrook each recorded two rebounds. Vega rounded out the rebounding with one.
The Lady Pirates had 10 assists, nine steals and 25 turnovers as a team. They also made two 3-pointers.
“The biggest takeaway is that our margin for error needs to be smaller against high-level teams, and that attention to detail really matters,” wrote Osborn. “We have to start limiting our turnovers and crash the boards hard on both ends to play against the better teams.”
On Saturday, Jan. 3, the Lady Pirates faced off against the Kent Denver Sun Devils, losing 55-29.
The Lady Pirates started slow, falling into a 18-3 deficit in the first quarter and carrying that 15-point deficit into halftime. They were then outscored 26-15 in the second half and lost by 26.
“Saturday against Kent Denver we had long stretches where we didn’t finish possessions the way we wanted, and we started the game off with low energy and a lot of turnovers,” wrote Osborn.
Garcia led the girls in scoring with 11 points, and Hittle added nine of her own. Vega and Snarr each added four points, and Campbell rounded out the scoring with one point. Garcia and Hittle each made a 3-pointer for the Lady Pirates and as a team the girls were five of eight from the charity stripe.
The Lady Pirates pulled down 25 rebounds as a team. Vega led the squad with six, Hittle added five, Limebrook and Campbell each had four, and Snarr and Garcia each had three rebounds.
As a team the Lady Pirates recorded four assists, 12 steals, four blocks and 24 turnovers.
Osborn emphasizes that when the Lady Pirates play connected and trust each other, they can hang with strong programs like Holy Family and Kent Denver, but, oftentimes, one really bad quarter, either offensively or defensively, digs them into a hole that’s hard for the girls to pull themselves out of.
“We want to improve our defensive rotations, rebounding effort, and offensive execution—especially taking care of the ball and finishing possessions,” she wrote.
Moving forward, the Lady Pirates have a nine-day break in between games in which they will focus on consistency, wrote Osborn.
She adds she wants the girls to play hard, smart and together and to continue to build confidence as a team.
The Lady Pirates will play again on Tuesday, Jan. 13, as they look to get their first win of the new year against the 5A Durango Demons, who are 3-5 on the year. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. in Durango.
jsellner@orourkemediagroup.com
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